BRITAIN: The former school caretaker charged with the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman was last night back at a high-security hospital after appearing in the dock for the first time.
Mr Ian Huntley (28), of Soham, Cambridgeshire, appeared at a special court sitting in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, where he was remanded to remain at Rampton high-security hospital in Nottinghamshire for another month.
Fearing public disturbances, police had mounted a major security operation, with more than 100 officers on duty and barriers put up outside the court.
Nearly 300 people gathered in the court's pedestrian precinct, some throwing eggs and plastic water bottles as Mr Huntley was driven away in a police van.
Police later said there had been one arrest but no serious problems.
Mr Huntley was charged with killing the two 10-year-old girls, who also lived in Soham, three weeks ago.
He had been remanded to Rampton high-security hospital in Nottinghamshire under the Mental Health Act and had not appeared in court until yesterday.
Police and court officials took the unusual step of arranging two court sittings to avoid unnecessary journeys to court and potential public order problems.
His case was initially heard by magistrates who, in a hearing lasting eight minutes, remanded him to the Crown Court.
A short while later, a judge held a special Crown Court sitting lasting 16 minutes in the Magistrates' Court to hear details of Mr Huntley's case.
Throughout both hearings, Mr Huntley sat trembling and blinking, staring into space. He said nothing, leaving his barrister, Ms Maureen Baker, to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Prosecutor Mr Karim Khalil outlined brief details of the case, which cannot be reported for legal reasons, and added a third charge, that of conspiring with his girlfriend, Ms Maxine Carr (25), to pervert the course of justice by lying to police investigating the murders.
A few feet in front of Mr Huntley sat his brother, Wayne, and Wayne's wife, Claire, who was previously married to the defendant.
In other seats sat Det Chief Insp Andy Hebb and Det Chief Supt Chris Stevenson, two of the leading detectives in the case.
Following Judge Nicholas Coleman's decision to remand him in custody, Mr Huntley shuffled out of court without making eye contact with anyone.
Ms Carr has been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice following the girls' disappearance. Her case has already been heard by Peterborough magistrates and a Crown Court judge. She is on remand at Holloway prison, north London, pending trial and her next scheduled court appearance is later this month.
There were serious public order problems outside the court when Ms Carr first appeared before magistrates last month, and police were keen to avoid any similar problems with Mr Huntley. - (PA)